Surviving the Seasons
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: A heavy snowstorm, colds, a demonic hunt for sacrifices, and a strange woman who may be connected to it all. But can the Sanzo party find the root of the problem before it's too late?
1. The Storm

**Surviving the Seasons**

**Notes: **Hello! This is my first Saiyuki fanfic, although I've written over thirty other fanfics for different animes, so I'm not completely inexperienced. This is going to be an adventure type story, but not without its Saiyuki humor.

I'm going by the English version of Saiyuki, of which I've seen the whole first series and the movie. I'm toning down the language a bit, though. XD I don't own Saiyuki or any of its characters, but I do own this story and my originals! Please leave a nice review when you've finished reading, and enjoy!

* * *

It was a chilly evening, the orange sun slowly setting behind the snow-covered mountains and tiny snow flurries falling gently from the sky, adding to the already thick blanket of snow covering the earth. 

Despite the weather, a green jeep rolled along the slick dirt road that lead through the countryside, it's passengers all looking rather weary from their travels, and the added frigidness of the weather wasn't improving their traveling conditions.

"Sanzo…" Goku whined from the backseat in his usual manner, pulling the hood down of the brown, poncho-like coat he was wearing. "I'm hungry."

The blonde-haired monk sighed in irritation, turning around and pointing his silver gun at Goku.

"We _know,_" he snapped in reply, the brown-haired boy gulping. "Now shut up and put your hood back on."

Goku frowned, grumbling as he folded his arms across his chest, Hakkai chuckling in the front seat as he guided the jeep down the winding road. Sanzo sighed, tucking his gun back into the pocket of his robe.

"Why?" Goku muttered, pulling the scratchy hood back up. "And when are we going to get to the next town? I'm starving…"

Gojyo sighed, closing his crimson eyes and slapping his forehead in exasperation.

"Geez, man, is that all you ever think about!" he growled, the loose strands of his crimson hair blowing around wildly in the wind. "And keep that hood up so we don't have to listen to you whine," he added under his breath.

In a flash, Goku was up and in Gojyo's face, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"I heard that, you big red cockroach!" he shouted, Gojyo growling, Sanzo and Hakkai both sensing yet another fight coming on.

"Ah, it's such a peaceful day," Hakkai stated cheerfully, smiling as he attempted to block out the sound of Gojyo and Goku's bickering.

Sanzo gritted his teeth, reaching for his banishing gun once again.

"You know," Sanzo growled, raising the gun into the air as Goku and Gojyo continued to fight in the backseat. "We can always leave you two behind…"

A loud gunshot rang through the area, echoing off the snowy mountains. Goku and Gojyo instantly ceased their fight and blinked.

"If you want to freeze that badly," Sanzo finished, grinning in smug satisfaction at successfully shutting the two up, lowering his gun.

Hakkai whistled, still smiling.

"The countryside is very lovely this time of year, with the snow and all," he mused, Gojyo sighing, leaning back against the chilly jeep.

"I'm starting to think I'd prefer a hot desert any day over this frozen ice-box," he muttered irritably, Goku's stomach growling.

"Yeah, the cold just makes me hungry…" he muttered, the brown-haired boy rubbing his stomach hungrily.

Gojyo gritted his teeth as the jeep took a turn around a rather slippery corner.

"Everything makes you hungry!" he retorted, as the jeep skid on the slick path and whirled off the road and into the frosty woods to the side.

Goku let out a startled yelp as a slick tree branch swatted him in the face as the out-of-control jeep slid down a snow-covered hill of trees.

"Hold on!" Hakkai yelled to the other passengers as he tried to brake to a stop, to no avail, the jeep continuing to thunder down the tree-infested hill.

Sanzo groaned irritably as a mound of snow from a tree branch above came crashing down on top of him, Gojyo snickering. Hakuryu let out a worried whine as another tree branch swatted Gojyo in the face, the crimson-haired water-sprite instantly losing his cheeky grin.

"Hakkai, can't you stop this thing!" he shouted up to the dark-haired demon, Sanzo angrily shoving the wet snow off of the Maten Scripture that hung around his shoulders.

Hakkai gulped as a giant snow-mound came into view just ahead. Chuckling nervously, he tried the brake once more.

"Get ready to jump!" he instructed, Goku blinking. "Hakuryu, transform!" Hakkai commanded, the green jeep suddenly glowing and vanishing, scattering the four passengers onto the snowy hill.

Hakkai panted, pushing himself up and off of the snowy ground, a pale-blue and rather small dragon hovering overhead.

"Thanks, Hakuryu," he smiled, the little dragon squeaking in uncertainty. "Is everyone all right?" Hakkai added, scratching his cheek as he glanced around the snowy hillside for his companions.

Goku groaned, the golden-eyed demon lying upside down on the slope, a dazed expression on his face.

"I'm still…hungry…" he muttered, pulling himself upright and shaking flakes of snow out of his head.

There was a grumble from a few feet away, and Hakkai and Goku glanced over to see Sanzo pulling himself off of the snow mound they'd avoided crashing into. The priest was covered in the soft, wet snow, and didn't look happy about it in the least.

"Hakkai," The blonde-haired man muttered angrily, trying to brush himself off. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you."

Gojyo snickered, freeing his boot from another mound of snow and tossing his long hair behind him.

"Sorry about that," Hakkai apologized with an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I couldn't think of anything else to do."

Goku giggled, pointing at Sanzo, who was now soaked from all the snow.

"You look like you just went swimming, Sanzo," Gojyo laughed, the priest growling and pulling out his silver gun again.

"Shut up," he snapped back, shoving his wet bangs out of his face as the water-sprite continued to laugh.

"Now, now," Hakkai muttered with a smile as Sanzo continued to threaten Gojyo, the ground shaking slightly. "We should probably start back up the hill so we can get back to the road. We want to make it to the next town before sunset, after all."

Goku sighed longingly, clutching his stomach.

"Yeah…" he agreed with a diligent nod, the ground rumbling again.

Sanzo paused in the middle of his sentence, lowering his banishing gun. Gojyo tilted his head to the side as snow fell from the trees above in lumps, the ground trembling.

"What the hell…?" Gojyo muttered, glancing around skeptically.

Goku gulped, backing up toward the other three, Hakuryu coming a rest on Hakkai's shoulder, his red eyes narrowed.

"An…earthquake?" he asked, narrowing his golden eyes as the mound of snow Sanzo had fallen into suddenly burst, showering the five with bits of snow.

Sanzo narrowed his eyes, a chilly wind blowing by, the falling dust and snow clearing to reveal several pale figures up ahead. The three figures were all pale-skinned and wearing snow-dusted clothes. Their hair was bright white, flowing behind them in the wind, and their eyes were dark blue.

Sanzo frowned, immediately sensing that they were not human. He gripped the handle of his silver gun tightly, prepared to use it if necessary. Beside him, Gojyo whistled, noting that one among the three strange demons was female.

"Nice sense of style you got there," he called out to them, grinning his charming smile as he pulled out his long metal weapon. "The white hair, matching outfit; you're not doing anything later, are you?"

The taller of the two male demons frowned, his long hair falling to rest neatly on his shoulders as the arctic wind died down.

"I'm afraid our sister won't be joining you anytime soon, half-breed," he snapped, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously, lifting his hands and revealing sharp, white, claws. "Except perhaps in your massacre."

Hakkai frowned, stepping forward calmly.

"We have done nothing to harm you or your companions," The dark-haired demon pointed out firmly. "So if you don't mind," Hakkai continued with a smile. "We'll just be on our way."

Goku nodded earnestly, too hungry to enjoy a good fight.

"Yeah!" he agreed, waving and starting up the slope. "We'll be seeing you around!"

The second male demon narrowed his eyes, leaping over the four travelers and sinking in the snow just in front of Goku, whose eyes widened.

"I don't think so," he replied icily. "You four are no ordinary travelers," he added, eyeing Sanzo's damp scripture. "The legendary Sanzo party, I presume? Quite a find, eh, Samusa? To have them fall right into our den."

Samusa, the other male ice demon nodded, the female demon frowning, glaring at Gojyo.

"I'm taking the pink one," she declared, raising her hands, silver claws glinting in the fading sunlight. "Now!"

With that, she darted forward, her claws raised as she slashed at the crimson-haired demon, who dodged and struck back with his metal staff. The other two demons lunged grinned, and lunged at the three remaining.

Goku growled, his reddish staff appearing in his right hand as he leapt up and dodged Samusa's attack, retaliating with a swing of his staff.

"Take _that_!" he shouted, the icy demon dodging and hitting the energetic monkey-demon from behind, knocking him to the snowy ground.

Sanzo shivered slightly as he leapt backwards, his damp robe and coat pressing against his skin.

"I'm really not in the mood for this today," he grumbled angrily as he shot at the second male demon who was attacking him, narrowly missing hitting Gojyo in the head with a bullet.

"Hey, watch it!" Gojyo yelled in outrage, ducking another one of the female demon's attacks. "You could kill someone with that thing!"

Hakkai sighed, smiling slightly as he put his hands together and created a chii barrier in front of Goku and himself, shielding them from another further attacks from Samusa.

The silver-haired demon growled angrily, lunging at Sanzo instead, who promptly shot two bullets at the demon. Samusa dodged, and came up behind Sanzo, his claws raised. The other two demons turned abruptly and focused their attacks on the blonde priest as well.

"You're mine, priest!" The female declared, leaping into the air, Sanzo gritting his teeth.

"Think again, lady!" Goku replied, grinning as he brought his red weapon crashing down on the female demon's head, knocking her to the ground.

Gojyo smirked as he thrust out the chain part of his metal rod, wrapping it around Samusa. Hakkai narrowed his eyes as he concentrated a ball of yellow energy in the palm of his hand and tossed it at the remaining demon.

Samusa growled, clenching his clawed hands angrily as he strained against the chains.

"Retreat!" he shouted to his companions, who nodded and instantly vanished.

A moment later, Samusa vanished as well, letting the chains on Gojyo's weapon retract. Sanzo huffed, tucking his banishing gun back into his robes as Goku grinned in victory, letting his red pole-like weapon vanish into thin air.

"All right!" he declared with a smirk. "We sure showed those losers, right, Sanzo?" Goku added, glancing up at the priest.

Sanzo shrugged irritably, starting back up the slope.

"Whatever," he muttered, Hakkai patting Hakuryu on his shoulder as he turned to follow the priest. "Let's just get out of this frozen forest before any _more _demons come to attack."

Gojyo sighed, shaking his head as he trudged through the snow after the others.

"Damn," he muttered, grinning in a melancholy way. "And she was hot, too."

Goku put his arms behind his head, shrugging with a grin.

"More like cold, if you ask me," he replied with a chuckle.

Sanzo nodded solemnly, Hakkai chuckling.

"Especially toward you," Sanzo finished, Gojyo gritting his teeth angrily and sprinting best he could in the snow after the other three.

"What was that, monk!"

"You heard me."

"That does it!"

* * *

Thousands of miles away in the basement laboratories of Houtou Castle, a dark-haired man was sitting in front of a computer screen, anxiously watching statistics and data flow down the screen, the light from the computer screen glinting off his glasses. 

"Ah…isn't winter fascinating?" The doctor murmured to a stuffed animal that was seated on the silver table beside him, its eyes blank as it simply smiled back. "How the creatures run for survival, moving to where their bodies can accept the climate."

There was a clacking noise on the cement floor as another doctor entered the room, her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she eyed the man at the computer.

"Doctor Ni," she scowled, narrowing her eyes as she put a hand to her hip. "What are you doing down here? We're supposed to be running more tests upstairs for the project."

Doctor Ni chuckled, leaning back in his computer chair and stretching.

"I believe they have more than enough people up there, buzzing around over that experiment data," he mused, glancing over at the female doctor upside down. "Unless…of course, you have _personal _reasons for wanting me to join you up there. Eh, Doctor Huang?"

Doctor Huang blushed angrily, pushing her glasses up against her face and clenching a fist, stomping over to where Ni was returning to his statistic watching.

"What is it you're doing that so important?" she demanded, looking down at the screen.

Doctor Ni smirked, patting the head of his stuffed rabbit.

"Don't you love the winter?" he mused airily, Doctor Huang eyeing him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" she retorted, backing up slightly and glaring down at her impossible colleague.

"The harsh conditions send most…humans and demons alike running for their lives, desperately seeking refuge from the icy weather," Ni sighed, grinning as he picked up the stuffed rabbit.

Doctor Huang narrowed her eyes, confused.

"But," Ni continued in a squeakier voice, holding up the rabbit and moving its little arms around to emphasize. "What should happen to the creatures in the spring and summer seasons, when everything is all warm and beautiful, if they, in turn, cannot tolerate the heat?"

Doctor Huang narrowed her eyes in confusion, Doctor Ni chuckling in satisfaction, the stuffed rabbit staring out at the female doctor with its permanent smile.

* * *

First Chapter, concluded! Others to follow sometime this week. In the meantime, please leave a polite **review**, and thank you for reading! 


	2. The Waitress

**Chapter Two: The Waitress**

It was late that evening when the rag-tag foursome drove up beside the snow-covered inn, the glow of the lights from the windows vaguely visible from outside. Goku shivered, jumping out of the jeep and into the snow.

"Urg, I'm starting to agree with Gojyo about hot deserts…" he groaned, his shoulders sagging as the others stepped out of the green jeep as well. "But at least we're finally here!" The monkey continued, pointing to the toasty-looking inn. "And you know what that means: dinner!"

Gojyo sighed, smirking slightly as he flipped his hood back and ran his fingers through his long hair.

"I wouldn't drool if I were you, monkey-boy," he said calmly, Goku twitching. "Unless you want it to freeze to your face…"

"Shut up!" Goku snapped back, immediately lunging for Gojyo as Hakuryu transformed into his original, dragon form.

Sanzo gritted his teeth in annoyance as Gojyo held Goku back, laughing as he continued to taunt the boy. The blonde-haired priest brushed off his stiff robe, realizing it must have frozen.

"What a great day it's been," he muttered sarcastically, following Hakkai as he walked toward the inn, petting his dragon.

"Come on you two," The dark-haired demon called back to the squabbling pair as he opened the door to the inn, a blast of warm air greeting them. "Unless you want to spend the night _outside._"

Goku and Gojyo froze for a moment, and then sprinted after the other two.

"No way!"

"You've got to be kidding, right?"

"I'm sure he was quite serious," Sanzo retorted, rolling up the stiff Maten Scripture. "I'm going to get rooms and change into something that isn't frozen," he announced angrily, heading toward the check-in desk.

A dreamy look cast over Goku's face as he eyed the restaurant in the next room.

"And _I'm _going to go check out the buffet!" he declared, dashing toward the restaurant, nearly crashing into a waitress with a tray full of fancy pudding glasses as he did so.

Hakkai smiled, scratching his cheek.

"You might want to watch where you're going…" he muttered, walking calmly after him.

Gojyo shook his head, going over to the waitress, who looked a bit startled.

"Ignore the stupid monkey," he said calmly, picking up a few papers that had fallen out of her pocket. "He's always causing problems for everyone."

Goku, contently loading his plate with food in the next room, didn't overhear the insult. Hakkai sighed with a smile, seeing that Gojyo was probably going to be busy for a while, and walked into the restaurant to join Goku. He cast a curious glance back at the waitress, though, as he walked across the wooden floor.

"_For some reason…she looks familiar," _Hakkai thought to himself, deciding not to worry about it.

* * *

The waitress chuckled nervously, setting down her tray of fancy pudding glasses. She was wearing a thin, loose white dress, with no sleeves, and she wore only thin sandals over her bare feet. 

"Thank you," she replied, taking the papers and folding them up again. "I guess I'm just kind of nervous, too. This is my first night on the job," she added, brushing a lock of her silver hair behind her.

Gojyo nodded, grinning as he leaned against the wall.

"Ah…I see," he replied, a romantic gleam in his eyes. "So what's your name?"

The waitress chuckled, her blue eyes sparkling in the glow from the ceiling lights.

"Icila," she replied, smiling shyly as she looked up into Gojyo's red eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed. "My family just moved here a few days ago."

Gojyo sighed, shaking his head.

"And they send the beautiful young lady out to work?" he asked, Icila's smile melting away slightly. "But oh well; where's your room?" Gojyo asked with a grin.

* * *

Sanzo groaned, pulling off his stiffened robe and tossing it onto the chair in his room. The inn hadn't been very full, so he'd managed to get a room for each of his companions and himself. 

"At least I don't have a share a room with that damn monkey tonight…" he mumbled, pulling on a black shirt and a pair of jeans.

Sanzo narrowed his eyes as he tucked his banishing gun into the pocket of his jeans, stifling a sneeze. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around the room. Something didn't feel quite right about the inn…but he couldn't place his finger on what.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, putting a hand to his head.

He had a pounding headache, and the thought of going back down and listening to Goku and Gojyo go at it again was making it even worse. Sighing, he rolled the Maten Scripture up and put it in his other pocket. Friendly atmosphere or not, he wasn't about to leave the scripture in his room where it would just be asking to be stolen.

With that, he turned off the lights and walked back out into the hallway.

* * *

Hakkai chuckled embarrassedly as Goku dug into his plate of food, his table manners (if he ever had them) forgotten. Hakkai took a sip of his drink as Hakuryu picked at a cracker. 

"Whew, glad I got here before the storm really came down."

Hakkai turned his attention to two young men and a woman who were sitting at the table behind them. The woman nodded eagerly.

"Oh I know! We never get winter storms down here, but a few days ago, it just started to _pour _snow. I think we've gotten about 15 inches, and it's still coming," she sighed, glancing out the window where a light dusting of flurries was still coming down.

The man who had spoken first grumbled, taking a sip of his drink before continuing.

"I'm getting damn tired of this inn," he muttered, lowering his voice.

Hakkai raised an eyebrow, leaning a bit closer to overhear. The other man nodded in agreement, Goku rushing back over to the buffet bar for seconds.

"I have a feeling all this snow isn't natural at all," The second man muttered. "You think there's black magic involved?"

The woman gasped, shaking her head as Goku returned to the table, his plate loaded again.

"I highly doubt it!" she declared, Hakkai blinking curiously, turning back to his own table.

"Wassup?" Goku asked through a mouthful of rice, raising an eyebrow.

Hakkai smiled.

"Nothing, really," he replied calmly, reaching over and petting Hakuryu's silky neck.

* * *

Icila blushed as she led Gojyo back to the kitchens, where she set down her tray of pudding dishes and started unloading them. 

"My room?" she replied airily, looking rather distracted as she moved various trays around, Gojyo leaning against the wall and watching her. "I go home at night, so I don't have a room here."

Gojyo blinked, scratching his head.

"You don't really want to walk home through all that snow tonight, do you?" he asked in disbelief, Icila nodding eagerly, looking worn out as she opened the cupboard above the oven.

"Oh, I don't mind it at all," she replied, waving her hand in front of her face like a fan. "I'm actually quite fond of the snow."

"_Damn," _Gojyo thought to himself, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and popping one up. "Ah well, if you need company on the way home, I'll be happy to walk you there."

Icila smiled a weak smile as she closed the cabinets, staggering backwards slightly.

"That's so…sweet of you…" she murmured, putting a hand to her head, closing her eyes.

Gojyo stepped forward, narrowing his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking around sharply as he suddenly sensed demonic energy pulsing through the room. "Icila?"

* * *

Sanzo narrowed his eyes as he walked into the restaurant downstairs, spotting Goku and Hakkai at a table toward the far right. There was a low murmur of chatter in the room, but not nearly as much as usual. It seemed that the inn wasn't very crowded that evening. 

"Sanzo!" Hakkai waved from their table, smiling cheerily as he spotted the priest.

Sanzo sighed, walking over and pulling out a chair at the table, joining the two. Goku looked up from his dish of ice cream and spotted Sanzo.

"Hey, Sanzo!" he greeted the blonde, Sanzo resting his head in the palm of his hand, his elbow on the table.

"Where's Gojyo – not that I care," he asked the others, Goku shrugging and he took a bite of a cookie.

"Dunno," he muttered, looking around the restaurant for their crimson-haired companion. "Probably flirting with some girl," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Hakkai narrowed his eyes, also glancing around the room.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, the threesome that had been sitting behind him now getting up to leave. "I saw him speaking to the waitress in the hallway when we came in, and I haven't seen either of them since."

Sanzo huffed, Hakuryu curling up on the table and dozing off.

"Then I guess we won't be seeing him for the rest of the evening then," he muttered, Hakkai laughing nervously.

"I guess not," Hakkai admitted, eyeing Sanzo. "Are you okay, Sanzo?" he asked with a smile. "You're acting a bit strange."

Sanzo glared over at Hakkai.

"I am?" he asked, sighing. "Whatever."

Goku blinked, finishing off the rest of the food on his plate.

"Yeah, and you look all red in the face," he added, the light from the ceiling glinting off of the golden coronet above his forehead.

Sanzo gritted his teeth, having always hated it when Goku or any of the others acted concerned.

"It's just the damn cold," he muttered, stifling another sneeze.

Hakkai smiled in a satisfied way.

"Oh? Or perhaps you've caught one," he pointed out, Sanzo narrowing his eyes.

Goku snickered.

"So much for telling _me _to keep my hood up," he laughed, Sanzo whipping out his paper fan and slamming it down on the monkey-demon's head.

"Shut up," he growled, putting a hand to his head, his headache growing. "If Hakkai hadn't driven us off the road I wouldn't have gotten all wet, so technically, it's his fault," Sanzo muttered, eyeing Hakkai, who chuckled nervously.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, scratching his cheek as Goku rubbed his head tenderly. "But I guess the harm's done."

Sanzo narrowed his eyes.

* * *

"Icila?" Gojyo asked quizzically, stepping toward her as she leaned against the counter, looking pale. "Are you…okay?" 

"I'm…" The white-haired woman started, but trailed off as she grew limp and fell forward.

Gojyo's eyebrows went up as he stepped forward and caught her body in his arms, completely confused.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he shook her gently, trying to rouse her.

The crimson-haired half-demon glanced around, trying to think of what to do with the fainted woman.

* * *

Sanzo narrowed his eyes as Goku's stomach growled, the threesome still sitting in the now emptying restaurant. 

"Man…I'm still hungry," Goku muttered, Hakkai laughing as he petted Hakuryu.

"I guess Goku would be the only person to complain about being hungry after he's just eaten the entire buffet," he pointed out, Goku frowning.

"But I am!" he cried, slumping down in his seat.

Sanzo huffed, pulling out a cigarette and searching around in his pockets for his lighter. His hand brushed against the Maten Scripture that he'd tucked into one of his pockets earlier that evening as he searched.

Glancing around the restaurant, he saw no one out of the ordinary. But for some reason, Sanzo was sure he could feel demonic energy pulsing through the whole inn. Gritting his teeth, he found his lighter and started to light a cigarette.

"Hey, Sanzo?"

Sanzo eyed Goku in irritation as the monkey-demon looked up at the priest with his large, golden eyes.

"Stop complaining about being hungry," he growled, Goku shaking his head earnestly.

"It's not that," he replied, blinking up at Sanzo, Hakkai watching the two in amusement. "But if you're already sick, you might want to lay off the cigarettes for a while, don't you think?"

Sanzo sighed, Goku cringing behind his chair.

"Just a suggestion," he added, remembering what had happened the last time he'd tried to tell Sanzo to lay off smoking.

Sanzo sighed, putting out his cigarette and tossing it into the trashcan as he stood up.

"I'm going to bed," he muttered, Goku blinking, surprised that Sanzo, however reluctantly, had listened to him. "Anyone wakes me up, I'll shoot them," The blonde priest added, Hakkai chuckling.

"Oh well," The green-eyed demon declared, Goku's stomach growling again. "Guess we should probably turn in soon, too."

Goku sighed, nodding hungrily as two yells suddenly came from the lobby. Hakkai raised an eyebrow, Hakuryu perking up on the table.

"What was that?" Goku asked, sprinting out into the lobby, Hakkai behind him.

The two demons stopped short as they saw Sanzo and Gojyo, who was holding the silvery-haired waitress in his arms, arguing in the lobby, the bell-boy looking completely baffled as he stood at a distance, watching the argument.

"What the hell do you think you're doing _this _time!" Sanzo growled, clenching a fist as Gojyo glared back at him. "As if seducing women wasn't bad enough."

"Shut up, monk!" Gojyo snapped back. "This isn't about _that. _We were just talking in the kitchens and she fainted," he explained, glancing down at Icila.

Goku blinked, eyeing the waitress.

"Weird!" he exclaimed, scratching his head. "Are you sure you didn't say something weird to her…?"

Gojyo hit Goku over the head angrily, his long, crimson hair getting in his face. Goku frowned, rubbing his head tenderly.

"I wish everyone would quit hitting me…" he muttered, Hakkai bending down next to the waitress as Gojyo laid her down on the floor.

Gojyo scratched his neck uneasily, Sanzo putting a hand to his throbbing head and muttering something to himself.

"She did say it was her first day here," The half-breed demon pointed out. "Maybe she was just…overworked?"

Hakkai narrowed his eyes as he looked over the girl, Goku peering over his shoulder.

"Her outfit is pretty skimpy," The monkey-demon noted, shivering. "Maybe she just caught a cold like Sanzo did."

Gojyo smirked, eyeing Sanzo.

"Oh he did, did he?" he asked tauntingly, Sanzo gritting his teeth angrily and turning toward the stairs.

"Whatever," Sanzo muttered, disappearing up the wooden stairs.

Hakkai shrugged with a smile.

"Maybe we should just get her a room and let her rest for the night," he suggested, standing up. "Besides, I doubt she was planning to go home in this weather, anyway," Hakkai added, glancing out the window at the snow that had already filled in their tracks from earlier.

Gojyo shrugged, remembering Icila mention that she wanted to go home that evening.

"Yeah…sure," he replied uncertainly.

Something definitely seemed amiss.

* * *

That's Chapter Two concluded! Please leave a **review **and the next chapter will be posted sometime in the next couple of days. 


	3. The Demons

**Chapter Three: The Demons**

Several hours later, the restaurant and lobby of the small inn had become completely deserted, as even the bell-boys and waitresses had gone up to their rooms. Even the Sanzo party had all gone upstairs, the snow still gently falling outside.

Hakkai was stroking Hakuryu's neck as he glanced out the window at the winter storm outside, while Goku and Sanzo had both gone to bed in their own rooms. Gojyo had taken Icila back to an empty guest room. Sighing, the half-breed leaned back in the wooden chair in the room beside the bed, cracking his neck.

"This is _not _the way I'd planned to spend an evening," he muttered, his boredom clear in his voice. "Especially with a hot chick," Gojyo added, eyeing Icila, who was still unconscious in bed.

Yawning, he glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was getting late, and it didn't look as though Icila were going to be waking anytime soon. Shrugging, he stood up and started for the door.

"Oh well," he muttered, brushing a lock of his crimson hair out of his face as he reached for the doorknob.

Suddenly, there was a noise from behind him, and Gojyo turned to see the white-haired girl's eyes snap open.

"About time," he declared, leaning against the doorframe, Icila bolting up in bed, panting.

"Wha…what happened!" she asked, glancing wildly over at Gojyo, looking rather wilted.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow.

"Well we were talking in the kitchen and you just passed out on me," he explained, grinning slightly. "Not a very complimentary thing to do to a guy. Was I _that _boring?"

The young woman was still breathing hard as she put a hand to her flushed cheek, shoving the blankets off of her and stepping onto the hardwood floor.

"I…I can't take this anymore," she moaned, putting a hand to her head. "I have to get out of this place!"

Gojyo blinked, stepping toward her as she pulled on her slipper-like shoes.

"Get out of here? It's like a freezer out there, you know," he pointed out, putting a hand to his head in exasperation.

Icila clenched a fist angrily as she walked toward the door.

"I can't take this place! I have to leave, and don't stand in my way, whoever you are!" she demanded, her dark blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

Gojyo chuckled, stepping out of the way of the door.

"Guess I never introduced myself," he murmured, Icila eyeing him suspiciously. "My name's Gojyo."

Icila softened slightly, leaning against the door-frame.

"I'm sorry," she sighed earnestly, her gaze falling to the floor. "Thank you for helping me before, but I have to go home. Please understand."

Gojyo raised an eyebrow, stepping toward her.

"Of course," he replied with a grin, opening the door. "And I believe you wanted an escort?"

Icila bit her lip as Gojyo stepped out into the dark hallway, smiling in a charming way. The white-haired waitress paused for a moment, staring into his seemingly sincere crimson eyes, and then she cracked a small smile.

"Sure," she agreed, joining him in the hallway. "If it's not too much trouble, that would be wonderful."

Gojyo shut the door behind him, grinning to himself.

"_Perfect," _he thought, following after the young woman as she hurried down the stairs and into the darkened lobby. "No trouble at all, Icila."

* * *

Deep in the heart of the snow-covered forest, a large, underground tunnel system made of snow and ice had been hollowed out deep under the ground. In the far back of the system, a large room made completely of ice stood. 

The floors were slick and the walls shimmered with the light from the few candles that had been lit and spread around the room on slick tables. In the center of the room, there was a deep pit in the ground, which went down so deep it was impossible to see what was at the bottom. In the back of the room, several demons were conversing.

"They would make fitting sacrifices, eh, brother?" The male demon asked Samusa, who was seated on a chair made of ice against the wall. "A priest, and several powerful demons. Imagine what they…"

"I know, Wintro," Samusa snapped back, his eyes narrowed in thought, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. "I know. It would save us the trouble of having to raid this village, like the last one."

The female demon huffed, leaning against the wall of ice, her sharp silver nails gleaming in the candlelight.

"We can assume they went into the village anyway, if they even made it that far," she spoke up, Samusa and Wintro glancing over at her. "The average humans and demons are so frail when it comes to this weather. I'm betting they froze before they even got to the outskirts of the town."

Wintro chuckled.

"True, Soria. Then we could pick up their bodies tomorrow, then," he replied. "And if they didn't freeze in the cold, I'm sure we'll be able to find them in the town."

Samusa gritted his teeth, his eyes anxious as he stood up, his pale fist clenched.

"I'm afraid we can't put it off until tomorrow," he explained, tossing his mane of white hair behind him, Wintro and Soria glancing over at their brother. "The whole plan will begin to crumble if the sacrifices are not offered before dawn."

Soria's stern face softened with worry as she bit her lip.

"It's gotten that desperate?" she asked quietly, Samusa nodding, glaring at his icy reflection in the floor. "If I'd known that earlier I would have given it more during the fight…"

Wintro growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Okay then," he declared, glancing over at the ice-made tunnels leading out from the ice chamber. "We'll go search for them. You stay here and wait, Samusa."

Samusa nodded, his eyes still worried as he sat back down on the ice, throne-like chair.

"Right," he agreed. "Don't fail," The ice demon added, the two others sprinting toward the tunnels.

As Soria and Wintro hurried out of sight, down the long tunnels, Samusa shifted around uncomfortably in his chair, glancing over at the far tunnel. That tunnel led just outside the village, only a short walk from it.

"Why are you taking so long?" he murmured to himself, narrowing his eyes as a candle flame wavered beside him.

* * *

Gojyo and Icila stepped outside, closing the inn door behind them. Gojyo shivered, pulling his sleeveless vest closer around him as a wave of the chilly winter wind blew over them. 

Icila smiled, stepping out into the deep snow, suddenly looking rejuvenated. Gojyo rubbed his arms furiously, walking after her.

"_Damn, she must really like her house," _The half-breed thought to himself. _"To want to walk through all this mess to get there."_

"Ehe…" Gojyo muttered, putting on a smile as Icila turned around to face him through the mist of whirling snowflakes. "So which way is your place?"

Icila smiled, pointing toward the forest.

"It's just a ways in there," she replied, brushing her long hair back and taking a deep breath. "It's so nice of your to accompany me there."

Gojyo grinned, trying to hide the fact that he was shivering.

"But of course!" he replied, starting toward the forest.

* * *

Inside the inn, Hakkai sat by the window, watching the tiny flakes whirl around in the wind, Hakuryu curled up in his lap. The dark-haired demon stroked his dragon's silky neck as he narrowed his eyes, thinking back to the conversation at the restaurant. 

_"All this snow is highly unnatural. Do you get the feeling black magic may be involved…?"_

Hakkai shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"It couldn't be the Gymouh team," he murmured aloud, thinking of Kougajii and his team of demons who were constantly on their tail, after the Maten Scripture. "What reason would they have for creating an unseasonably heavy snowstorm in a remote land around a village?"

As he stared out the window, he suddenly caught a glimpse of two figures outside in the snow. Hakkai leaned forward, trying to see through the clouds of snow below who it was that was outside in the middle of the night. Hakkai's eyebrows went up as he recognized the figures.

"Gojyo?" he asked, blinking as he saw the crimson-haired demon walking toward the forest, shivering. "What's he doing out there…and with that waitress?"

Hakkai chuckled to himself, wondering if Gojyo were up to his usual antics. But something about him traveling out in the snow with a waitress who had fainted in the middle of her chores just didn't seem quite…normal.

"Not that anything we do is exactly normal…" Hakkai murmured to himself with a smile as he set Hakuryu down on the bed and walked over to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway.

As he shut the door and turned around, Hakkai suddenly collided with a short figure, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Hakkai blinked, squinting in the darkness to make out the other figure.

"Oh," he sighed, rubbing his head. "Goku. What are you doing up this late?"

Goku blinked sleepily, his golden eyes half shut as he glanced over at Hakkai.

"I wanted a midnight snack…" he muttered thickly, Hakkai standing up and brushing himself off. "Where're you going?" Goku added as his companion started backing down the hallway.

"Uhm…just out for a walk," Hakkai explained almost truthfully, smiling at Goku before starting down the staircase. "Later!"

Goku sat in the hallway for a moment, listening as the green-eyed demon walked down the wooden stairs and out the door in the lobby, closing it with a snap. After a few moments, Hakkai's words finally registered in his half-asleep mind.

"…but it's really cold out…"

* * *

"Gojyo!" 

Gojyo and Icila turned around to see Hakkai sprinted toward them through the snow. The dark-haired demon waved, smiling, as usual, even though it was still snowing heavily.

"Where're you two off to?" he asked, catching up to them, Icila eyeing Hakkai suspiciously.

Gojyo sighed, putting a hand to his head, the two strands of his hair that usually stuck up in front whipping around wildly in the wind.

"Just walking her home," he explained, wishing Hakkai hadn't decided to come join them. "_How am I supposed to hit on her with him around?" _Gojyo thought to himself.

Hakkai smiled politely at Icila before turning back to Gojyo.

"Oh, I see," he replied calmly. "Would you mind if I joined you? I'm having a little trouble getting to sleep, myself."

Gojyo sighed, the trio walking toward the snow-covered forest.

"Only one guy needs to accompany a lady, you know," he hissed back, Hakkai laughing.

"I know," he replied quietly, so Icila wouldn't overhear their conversation. "You won't even know I'm here, I promise."

Gojyo growled, making a face.

"Yeah, that's the problem," he mumbled under his breath, Icila chuckling good-naturedly.

Hakkai and Gojyo glanced up at her as she walked ahead of the two, smiling. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly, as she smiled, the three of them approaching the outskirts of the forest.

"No, really," she replied, glancing back at them. "I don't mind. I actually am fond of groups."

Gojyo sighed, shaking his head with a smile as he and Hakkai hurried after her through the thick snow.

"In that case, I guess we're all going," he replied aloud, eyeing the young woman curiously as she skipped ahead of them, not seeming to be affected by the harsh wind and cold weather.

"_That's one strange waitress," _he muttered to himself as he and Hakkai hurried to catch up with her.

* * *

Doctor Huang stifled a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she walked by the control room, tired from all the hours of note-taking and experimentation. She sighed as she pushed open the door and stepped inside, blinking as she spotting Doctor Ni still hunched over the screen of his computer, watching maps and data charts as they appeared on the screen. 

"Are you still watching those figures?" Doctor Huang sighed in exasperation, her patience wearing thin. "I hope those detailed charts have something to do with the Gymouh project, Doctor Ni," she added, adjusting her lab coat wearily.

Doctor Ni chuckled, nodding in amusement.

"But of course, Miss Huang," he replied sincerely, his eyes glued to the screen as he stretched his arms overhead. "These detailed charts have something to do with a very, very important someone."

Doctor Huang raised an eyebrow, her eyes skeptical behind her glasses.

"And who might that be?" she asked.

"Why, Genjo Sanzo of course," Doctor Ni replied, taking a sip of his coffee and setting the mug back down on the counter once more.

"Genjo Sanzo?" Huang repeated curiously, her eyebrows going up. "I hope this isn't another one of your foolish "plans" to kill him yourself. Need I remind you about the effects of your _last _attempt?"

Doctor Ni chuckled, his stuffed bunny tucked snugly under his arm as he scanned another diagram of data.

"Oh, of course not, Miss Class President," he mused, Doctor Huang narrowing her eyes in irritation. "No…I see that Genjo Sanzo and his party may be…killed off without our so much as having to…lift a finger."

* * *

Chapter three, concluded! Please leave a review, and check back soon for chapter four. Thank you for reading! 


	4. The Attack

**Chapter Four: The Attack**

It was dark out as Gojyo, Hakkai, and Icila trudged through the heaping mounds of snow, whirling flakes blowing in their faces as they made their way toward Icila's house. Gojyo shivered, rubbing his bare arms furiously in an attempt to warm up.

"Exactly ho…how much farther _is _your place, Icila?" The crimson-haired demon asked in a shaking voice, trying not to act as cold as he felt.

Hakkai forced a smile, wondering how Icila could stand to be wearing such a short and thin dress in a snowstorm, and not be affected by the cold.

"It's not too much further…" Icila murmured, glancing around in the wooded area. "It should be around here somewhere…"

Gojyo glanced around quickly, growing a bit irritable in the harsh conditions. Sighing, he cupped his hands around his mouth so the others could hear him over the wind.

"Are you sure you don't want to just go back to the hotel?" he called over to the white-haired woman. "There were lots of nice, _warm, _rooms back there!"

Hakkai chuckled, despite the situation.

"Is that all you can think about, Gojyo?" he sighed, Icila narrowing her eyes, her back still turned to them.

"Warm," she murmured, her eyes fixated on the snowy ground. "That's part of the problem, Gojyo…"

* * *

Sanzo sighed, rolling over uncomfortably in bed. He'd been waking up every hour or so, and then finding it extremely hard to get back to sleep again. He glanced over at the clock on the wall, and noted that it was nearly midnight. Sighing, he put a hand to his head and sat up.

"At least all those damn people went to bed," he muttered aloud to himself, his head still pounding, glad it was silent in the inn.

But all the same, something didn't feel quite right. He was sensing more demon energy…although it was faint, and he couldn't quite put his finger on _where _exactly the energies were coming from.

"Probably some idiot demon wandering around in the forest," Sanzo declared, a harsh knocking sound suddenly filling the room.

The Sanzo priest winced, glaring at the door as several more knocks followed the initial series.

"San-ZO!" Came an all-to-familiar voice from the hallway. "Hey, Sanzo! Open up!"

Sanzo twitched, grabbing his banishing gun off the table and stomping over to the door. He whisked the door open, revealing Goku, who was standing out in the hallway looking concerned about something.

"Didn't I say…" Sanzo began in a low, angry voice. "I would shoot anyone who woke me up?" he asked, glaring down at the monkey-demon, his gun in hand.

Goku gulped, putting his hands up defensively.

"Sheesh, sorry!" he retorted, pointing toward the stairs. "I know you're sick, but I was wondering if you knew why Hakkai left twenty minutes ago to take a walk in the blizzard."

Sanzo growled, hitting Goku over the head with his paper fan.

"No, I don't know, and I don't care," he snapped, started to slam the door. "Leave me alone."

Goku sighed, holding the door open.

"But he still hasn't come back yet, and I'm starting to get worried," he whined, Sanzo letting go of the door and walking back over to his bed.

"That's his problem," Sanzo retorted, lying back down, staring out the window that was a few feet from his bed.

Goku let out an exasperated sigh, clenching a fist.

"But Sanzo, Gojyo's missing too!" he protested, walking into the bedroom. "And Hakuryu's still here; I checked Hakkai's room. Don't you think we should at least go and make sure they didn't get lost or something?"

Sanzo didn't reply. Goku stood in the dark room for a moment, waiting for an answer, and then he sighed, turning back toward the door.

"Fine, I'll go look for them myself," he muttered, Sanzo narrowing his eyes as he watched the swirling snowflakes outside.

Goku sighed as he walked down the creaky wooden steps, wondering which way Hakkai would have been heading outside. And why had Gojyo left too? Things weren't really adding up.

"_I thought for sure he was with that waitress-lady who fainted during dinner," _Goku thought to himself.

As the monkey-demon approached the door, he heard a creak on the stairs. Blinking, he turned around and saw Sanzo walking downstairs, a rather irritated look on his face as he tucked the Maten Scripture into his pocket.

Goku grinned, glad Sanzo had decided to come along.

"You're not wearing a coat?" he asked curiously, tilting his head to the side as he waited for the priest. "It's below zero out there, and you're already…"

Sanzo huffed, shrugging.

"I doubt we'll be out for long," he muttered in reply, opening the door. "My robe is already soaked thanks to Hakkai's brilliant driving."

Goku eyed Sanzo, unable to help but feel a little guilty for waking him up and asking him to come along, even though he was sick. But then again, it'd be even more ridiculous to now tell him to go back to bed.

"Eee!"

Goku and Sanzo turned around to see Hakuryu gliding down the stairs, a somewhat worried expression in his red eyes. Sanzo sighed as the small dragon hovere above them, squeaking in an indecipherable manner.

"You're coming too, Hakuryu?" Goku asked, the dragon nodding eagerly.

"Okay!" Goku declared, opening the front door, letting in a blast of cold air. "Let's go out…in the freezing cold," he muttered, much of his energetic enthusiasm dying away.

"_Damn you, Hakkai," _Sanzo thought to himself, narrowing his eyes in irritation as he followed Goku outside and into the snowstorm.

* * *

Gojyo blinked, eyeing Icila in confusion, his arms freezing cold by now. Hakkai squinted through the whirling snowflakes, his boots sinking in the snow. The waitress wasn't making any sense now.

"What are you talking about, Icila?" Gojyo demanded, the white-haired waitress closing her eyes, looking torn.

Hakkai glanced around, a dark chill suddenly running through the forest around them. Gojyo narrowed his eyes, sensing it as well. Icila bit her lip, turning around and facing them.

"I…didn't mean to get you involved, Gojyo," she murmured, confusing the two even more.

Hakkai narrowed his eyes, gasping as he backed up in the snow.

"Gojyo, do you sense that?" he hissed, the red-haired half-breed nodding, his eyes still on the white-haired waitress, her long hair flowing wildly in the wind.

If it were not for her blue eyes, Icila would not have even been visible, surrounded by all the snow around them.

"Yeah," Gojyo muttered, gritting his teeth. "Demon energy. It's close, too."

Icila bit her lip as two hisses came from the surrounding trees. Gojyo and Hakkai both glanced upward, alert. The woman closed her eyes tightly, knowing what was about to happen. She was dreading it, and yet she did not have the strength or will to stop it, at the same time.

_Why does it have to be this way, brother?_

"Look out, Gojyo!" Hakkai cried, summoning a ball of yellow chii his hands, tossing it out in Gojyo's direction.

The half-breed leapt out of the way, just in time to avoid collision with the sphere of energy. Instead, there was a howl of pain from a tall figure who had been standing several feet behind Gojyo.

Hakkai narrowed his eyes, conjuring another energy sphere.

"I believe," he murmured, Gojyo pulling out his metal pole and standing alert as the figure recovered, only momentarily stunned by the energy blast. "That is one of the demons that attacked us earlier."

Icila bit her lip, backing away from the ensuing battle as Wintro lunged at Gojyo, twin ice daggers in his hands. Gojyo dodged, grinning despite the weather and the fact that a demon had just sprung a surprise attack on him.

"So that beating we gave them earlier…wasn't enough, huh?" he replied, Hakkai sending another energy blast at the ice demon. "You run, Icila! We'll take care of this!" Gojyo added to the waitress, who merely stared sadly back at him.

Wintro angrily dodged, sending both of his daggers soaring toward the dark-haired demon. Hakkai ducked, rolling out of the way of the knives, up to his elbows in snow. Gojyo thrust out the metal chain atop his staff, aiming at the pesky ice demon and catching him around the middle.

Wintro growled, struggling against the chains as Gojyo smirked in satisfaction, reeling him in.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he declared, Wintro shooting an angry glare at him.

Hakkai bit his lip, glancing around. Something wasn't quite right. The demon energy they'd sensed just a moment before hadn't seemed to be coming from just one demon, and surely one of the demons from before wouldn't travel alone, especially after being beaten earlier.

Behind Gojyo, however, as he was reeling in the ice demon, loomed a pair of dark blue eyes, and several long, silver nails poised in midair, ready to strike. Hakkai gasped as the figure the nails belonged to grew nearer to the crimson-haired half-demon.

"Gojyo!" he called, sprinting toward him, conjuring another ball of chii in his hands. "Look out!"

Gojyo, still grinning in satisfaction, glanced over at Hakkai, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, Hakkai thrusting his energy sphere out at the figure, who leapt into the air, her long hair flowing in the wind.

Gojyo glanced up as Soria flew through the air and landed in front of Hakkai with a thump, lashing her long nails out and digging them into the dark-haired demon's stomach.

Wintro smirked, running another icy dagger along the edge of Gojyo's chains, snapping them in several pieces. Then he darted forward, lunging at the half-breed. Gojyo glared at Soria as she retracted her nails, splattering the snow in front of her with blood.

* * *

Goku sighed, putting his hand up to his forehead, trying to see through the mist of snow that hung all around them like a dense cloud. Above him, Hakuryu was flying as best he could against the storm, and beside him, Goku could hear Sanzo flicking away with his lighter, trying to get it to light.

"Damn weather," he cursed in aggravation, tucking his lighter back into his pocket and glancing around, suddenly picking up on something he hadn't before.

He reached out and grabbed Goku's shoulder, the smaller boy halting, glancing up at his companion.

"What's up?" he asked curiously, blinking.

"Do you sense that?" Sanzo replied darkly, his eyes narrowed toward the forest.

Goku followed Sanzo's gaze over to the wooded area up ahead, nodding.

"Well…sort of," he murmured, sniffing the air. "I can sense the demon energy, if that's what you mean, but…"

Sanzo started forward, his head pounding again.

"But what?" he demanded, Goku sprinting to catch up with him.

"I smell blood," Goku muttered, biting his lip as he glanced around, trying to pinpoint the location.

Sanzo looked around as well, snow blowing in both of their faces. There was a faint thump in the distance toward the forest, and the blonde-haired priest narrowed his eyes. Hakuryu let out a worried whine, taking refuge on Goku's shoulder.

"That way!" Goku declared, the two and Hakuryu taking off into the wooded area.

* * *

"Hakkai!" Gojyo called over to his companion, the dark-haired man bending over, his hand pressed against the wound in his stomach. "Are you all right?" he added, leaping backwards as Wintro lunged for him.

Hakkai winced, nodding as he dodged another attack from Soria. Several feet away, Icila's eyes widened in horror. It was happening. Soria and Wintro were far stronger than Gojyo and Hakkai, and the two would soon be the next sacrifices.

_I can't watch! _She thought to herself, taking off into the forest, tears running from her dark blue eyes and streaking down her face.

"I'm…okay," Hakkai replied, gritting his teeth as Gojyo attacked Soria, hitting her over the head with his metal staff. "Thanks," he added as Soria let out a startled cry, falling to the snowy ground.

Gojyo nodded, looking a bit unconvinced as the two turned to face Wintro, who had conjured up two more ice daggers. The white-haired demon glanced over at his sister, who looked out cold as she lay in the snow.

"You're going to pay for that one, half-breed," he growled in a low voice, leaping into the air.

Hakkai thrust his chii sphere up at the demon, who swerved out of the way before landing in front of Gojyo, running his icy blade across the crimson-haired man's arm. Gojyo jerked his staff sideways where it collided with Wintro, sending him soaring backwards.

Hakkai quickly conjured up another burst of chii and blasted the temporarily off-guard Wintro, sending him soaring back into a tree, showering the ground with bits of tree bark and brittle, frozen branches.

Gojyo sighed in relief, eyeing the gash on his arm from the ice blade. Hakkai eyed the mound in the snow by the tree, half-expecting Wintro to get back up and continue the onslaught, but to his relief, the fallen demon did not.

"Well, that's that," Gojyo declared wearily, shoving his metal pole into the snow and facing Hakkai, eyeing the blood on the green-eyed man's hands and clothes.

Hakkai nodded, a chilly winter breeze blowing by.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Gojyo was about to suggest that they head back to the inn, when suddenly something hit him. He realized that one of their threesome was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where did Icila run off too?" he asked, starting to panic slightly.

Gojyo didn't suspect such a strange woman would be very safe out in the middle of a demon-infested wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Hakkai glanced around, narrowing his eyes.

"I…think she ran off deeper into the woods when the fight started," he murmured, gritting his teeth.

Gojyo sighed, pulling his metal staff up again and slinging it over his shoulder.

"You head back to the inn, and I'll find her and take her the rest of the way to her house…if it even exists," he added with a hint of sarcasm.

Hakkai stepped forward.

"No, I'll go with you," he replied, Gojyo eyeing him in exasperation.

"Come on, you're in no condition to keep wandering around with me," The crimson-haired demon pointed out. "Besides, you shouldn't have come with me in the first place."

Hakkai chuckled.

"I'd hate to see what would have happened to you if I hadn't come along," he replied, growing more serious. "Besides, this cold weather should slow down the blood flow somewhat. I'll be fine."

The two turned to look into the distance, the sky overhead dark and the snow still coming down in a rapid flow.

"I hope we can say the same for Icila," Gojyo muttered, the two taking off into the heart of the woods.

* * *

End of Chapter Four! Thank you for reading, and please leave a review. Next chapter up soon. 


	5. The Chamber of Ice

**Chapter Five: The Chamber of Ice**

Icila bit her lip as she trudged through the snow toward the ice tunnels, her eyes watering. The tears she'd shed earlier had frozen to her cheeks in icy streams, but neither that nor the cruel weather seemed to slow her down.

_Why? _She thought to herself, her dark blue eyes sad and conflicted. _They were nothing but kind to me. Why did they have to be the ones that brother wanted?_

Stumbling, she fell down into the soft snow, shaking as more tears started to sting at her eyes. What made Icila feel even worse was that it was partially her fault. She'd lured Gojyo and his companion along with her.

_What did I expect? _She demanded of herself. _I was luring them back to the caverns out of my fear of death. I…was just as bad as Wintro and Soria._

* * *

Gojyo and Hakkai trudged along through the snow, slowly. Gojyo bit his lip, wishing he could have just convinced Icila to wait until the following day to try to go home. 

"Honestly, going out in this kind of weather is suicide," he grumbled, his arms freezing as the wind stung the gash he'd received from Wintro's daggers. "Why didn't you bring your dragon with you, anyway?"

Hakkai shook his head slowly, scanning the area around them for some sign of the waitress.

"I doubt Hakuryu would be able to travel much faster in this weather anyway," Hakkai murmured, squinting as snowflakes whirled in the winds in front of them.

Gojyo sighed, his shoulders sagging.

"Yeah, I guess not," he muttered, suddenly catching a glimpse of someone bent over in the snow.

The crimson-haired demon halted, narrowing his eyes as he tried to recognize the figure through the misty snow. Then, Gojyo grinned, running toward the pale figure sitting in the snow.

"Icila!" he called, the woman looking up abruptly, startled.

Her eyes widened as she spotted Gojyo, closely followed by Hakkai. Gasping, Icila pushed herself to her feet, backing away from the two demons, quivering. Gojyo slowed to a stop, looking puzzled.

"What's wrong, Icila?" he asked, grinning in his charming way. "We took care of those two ice demons with no problems, so you don't have to worry anymore."

Gojyo winked at her as she took another step backwards, seeming to be close to tears.

"No…" she whispered, Hakkai's eyebrows going up. "No! Stay away from me!" Icila shouted, her white hair flowing in the wind as she turned and started to sprint away from them. "Stay away!"

Gojyo blinked, starting after her. He narrowed his eyes in frustration, wondering what could be the problem now.

"Come on!" he shouted to Hakkai, who hurried to catch up, studying the fleeing Icila closely.

_I thought there was something familiar about her earlier in the restaurant, _Hakkai thought to himself as he and Gojyo took a sharp turn around several trees. _And after seeing the ice demons again, I think I see the resemblance. She looks just like them!_

"Gojyo!" Hakkai called over to the crimson-haired demon, who skidded to a sudden stop in front of a deep ditch in the snow.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and peering down into it, surprised at what he saw. It was like a slide on a playground, only much bigger and made of ice. The whole walls of the ditch were made of flat, slick ice, and it curved at the bottom into a tunnel of sorts.

"What the…hell is this?" Gojyo asked, gaping at the tunnel, Hakkai biting his lip. "It's like a whole tunnel made of…"

"Ice," Hakkai finished, bending down and running his hands across the wall of the tunnel slide. "And I'm willing to bet Icila just took a ride down this ice slide."

Gojyo narrowed his eyes, sticking his metal staff into the snow again.

"How would she know where they lead?" he asked skeptically, still a bit confused. "Not that anything that woman does makes sense, anyway. What's up with running away from us like that?"

Hakkai sighed, pushing himself back up again, putting a hand over the wound in his stomach. The cold air was keeping the blood from flowing freely, but he could still feel it soaking through his shirt.

"I'm not positive…but she looks an awful lot like those ice demons who attacked us," he pointed out, Gojyo's eyebrows going up. "And remember that the ice demons attacked only you and I, and left Icila alone."

"So you're saying she's a demon, too?" Gojyo asked, narrowing his eyes. "I guess that would make sense, though."

Hakkai tilted his head to the side.

"If she is a demon, then she must have been able to mask her demon energies through a power limiter and her own abilities," he explained. "When I was in the kitchens and she fainted, I suddenly sensed a lot more demonic energy than I had before."

Hakkai nodded, glancing back over at the tunnel.

"It would seem so, then," he murmured, looking back up at Gojyo. "Do you think we should go down as well?"

Gojyo grinned, pulling his metal pole back out of the snow.

"You bet," he declared, preparing to go down the ice slide. "I'm not going back to the inn until I figure out just what's up with this pretty girl. After all, she was supposed to be my date."

Hakkai chuckled.

* * *

Sanzo and Goku continued to head through the woods, Goku sprinting ahead suddenly as the two came to a small clearing. The brown-haired demon bent down in the snow, narrowing his eyes as he spotted a dark liquid splattered over the white surface. 

"Sanzo, look," he murmured, the Sanzo priest glancing around at their surroundings, cautious.

Hakuryu whined, flying over to where Goku was and staring down at the dark splotch on the otherwise spotless snow as well. Goku glanced up, a rustling sound coming from the side.

Sanzo whirled around, shooting several bullets in that direction. There was a flash of white, and a tall figure suddenly appeared beside Goku. The monkey-demon growled, conjuring up his pink staff and lashing out at the figure, who promptly dodged.

Another figure rose up from the snow a few meters away, Goku gasping and backing up toward Sanzo.

"Demons?" he asked, Sanzo nodding, his eyes narrowed and his gun aimed at the first figure.

Soria growled, rubbing her head tenderly where Gojyo had knocked her out with his staff. Wintro staggered forward, shaking his head. He had a pounding headache, and could sense that all three of their initial visitors were now far away.

"Icila's probably back at the compound," he muttered, Soria glancing over at her brother. "We don't stand a chance against a Sanzo in this condition. Let's just hope Icila managed to sweet-talk those fools along with her."

Soria nodded, clenching a fist and vanishing into a blur of white light along with Wintro. Goku blinked, confused as he let his pink staff vanish. Sanzo narrowed his eyes, trying to work out what the two demons had meant.

"What the hell was that about?" Goku muttered in surprise, titling his head to the side.

Sanzo growled in irritation, lowering his gun.

"I don't know," he muttered, eyeing several sets of tracks on the ground, leading off deeper into the forest. "But I have a hunch," The blonde-haired priest added, starting off in the direction of the tracks. "Come on."

Goku hurried after him, Hakuryu soaring overhead.

* * *

Icila bit her lip, dashing down the long ice tunnel, seeing a tiny spark of light in the distance up ahead. She choked back a sob, worried as to what he was going to say to her…or do to her. 

_I've betrayed both sides, _she thought to herself, recalling how she hadn't helped her siblings defeat the two from the inn, and still she hadn't helped Hakkai or Gojyo either. _But…I'm tired of living at the expense of others._

The woman stumbled into the large chamber room, Samusa glancing up from where he had been sitting on the iced chair. The demon narrowed his dark blue eyes, raising an eyebrow at the younger woman.

"Icila," he murmured, standing up and walking toward her. "Finally. What kept you?"

Icila quivered, unsure of how to reply.

"I…was accompanied home by a few demons I met at the inn," she replied shakily, not making eye-contact with her brother. "They were attacked by Soria and Wintro in the middle of the forest, though."

Samusa's eyebrows both went up, this time.

"So they were members of the Sanzo party?" he asked curiously. "How coincidental. Demons with such skill and power would fuel the winter for several decades, at least. I can assume Wintro and Soria will be returning with them shortly."

Icila didn't reply. The white-haired woman stared at the ground, Samusa leaning toward her.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Icila forced a small smile, backing away as she brushed a lock of her white hair behind her ear.

"Nothing," she lied, her eyes shining in the light from the flickering candles. "Nothing at all."

Samusa smiled back at her, straightening up and glancing over at the end of the room. Narrowing his eyes, he suddenly picked up on something he hadn't sensed earlier. Moving around in all of the ice of their underground lair were two sources of heat.

Growling, he clenched a fist, Icila glancing up at him nervously.

"Brother," she whispered. "What is it?"

Samusa gritted his teeth, eyeing the three entrance tunnels to the chamber room.

"Two beings are coming this way," he declared. "I can sense their heat energy. It's faint, though, so either Wintro and Soria are dragging our demons back or a couple of weary travelers have stumbled into our den."

Icila bit her lip, wandering over to the back of the room, her reflection in the ice below staring up at her. She glanced over at the deep pit in the middle of the ice-covered room, feeling uneasy.

"I see," she murmured in reply.

* * *

Gojyo shivered, he and Hakkai walking side-by-side down the seemingly never-ending tunnel of ice, Gojyo holding up his lighter to guide them. The flame flickered, dimming slightly as the two walked out, the crimson-haired man eyeing his companion. 

"So…why do you think Icila ran off like that?" he asked, noticing Hakkai's green shirt was now heavily stained with blood. "I kinda doubt it was my fault this time."

Hakkai chuckled, his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the path ahead.

"You're probably right," he agreed. "But if Icila is also an ice demon, that means she's probably related to the group that attacked us earlier, and the two who attacked us just a few minutes ago. If I'm guessing correctly, I'd say she's also involved in whatever plans they have for us."

Gojyo sighed, running his free hand through his hair as a faint light appeared ahead.

"Ah, what a shame," he muttered. "She was cute, too."

Hakkai didn't laugh this time, tilting his head to the side as he noticed the large room coming into view ahead.

"Look," he murmured, the two hurrying over the iced floors and into the iced chamber, the high ceilings giving the room an even larger appearance.

Gojyo gaped at the room as Samusa glanced up from where he'd been leaning over the dark pit in the center, his blue eyes immediately narrowing.

"The demons," he mused, straightening up and eyeing them, Gojyo spotting Icila in the back of the room.

_"They're injured…but where are Soria and Wintro? Were they too much for them…?" _Samusa thought to himself, Gojyo chuckling nervously.

"Nice place you've got here," he complimented, glancing around the ice room. "The ice really adds to the whole "winter" theme. I little heating would be nice, though."

Samusa gritted his teeth, preparing to lunge.

"Oh?" he asked, looking calmly as he could over at the two demons. "I happen to like the arctic conditions, myself."

Hakkai narrowed his eyes, conjuring a chii sphere in his hands as Gojyo tucked away his lighter and pulled out his metal weapon.

"Guess you're the only one, then," Hakkai replied, narrowing his eyes.

* * *

"Ow! Stupid ice slide…thing…" Goku muttered, rubbing his back as Sanzo slid down the side of the ice slide beside him, his silver banishing gun out and loaded. "So you think Hakkai and Gojyo went down this tunnel?" 

Sanzo sneezed, silently cursing the cold weather.

"It's a hunch," he muttered in reply, walking down the ice tunnel, Hakuryu flying down the tunnel after them.

"Ee!" The blue dragon squealed, flapping its wings wildly as it hovered in front of Sanzo, its red-eyes full of energy.

Goku tilted his head to the side, standing up and joining the two in the middle of the tunnel-way.

"What's up, Hakuryu?" he asked, his golden eyes curious.

The dragon squeaked a few more times before glowing and transforming into their green jeep, which, thanks to the considerable width of the tunnel, just managed to fit comfortably in the center of the path.

Goku broke into a grin, leaping into the front seat.

"All right! Hakuryu can help us catch up with them in no time!" he declared, Sanzo sighing and sitting down in the driver's seat. "Guess you'll have to drive, since Hakkai's not here," Goku added, Sanzo starting the engine.

"Aye, aye, aye…" Sanzo muttered, stepping on the gas pedal, the green jeep shooting forward in the tunnel, the sound of the roaring engine echoing throughout the entire ice construction.

* * *

Chapter five, concluded! Expect the story to wrap up within the next chapter or two. Please review for now, and come back soon for Chapter Six! Thank you for reading/reviewing! 


	6. The Spell

**Chapter Six: The Spell**

There was a flash of white light beside the deep pit in the center of the ice-plated room, and two rather weary-looking ice demons appeared, their looks of fierce determination returning as they spotted Hakkai and Gojyo.

"Those fools made it all the way here?" Soria murmured to herself, Samusa eyeing his siblings in confusion. "They really are something else, then…"

Gojyo growled in irritation, hanging his head.

"Don't these guys ever die?" he muttered, Icila breathing a sigh of relief that her siblings were all right.

Secretly, however, she was glad they had lost the battle. Samusa sighed, turning to face Hakkai and Gojyo again.

"So good of you to join us, Soria, Wintro," he murmured, the two ice demons that had just appeared eyeing Gojyo and Hakkai. "You can assist me in delivering our sacrifices."

"_Sacrifices?"_ Hakkai thought to himself, raising an eyebrow as he held the sparkling ball off chii energy in his hand.

"Indeed," Soria replied, her silver nails still stained with blood with before, the three demons posing for a lunge.

Icila hid her face as they started to run forward, Gojyo and Hakkai both on their guard, prepared to defend themselves from the attack. Suddenly, there was a familiar yell from directly behind the two, and a loud roaring sound.

"Get out of the way!" Goku yelled, waving his hands at Gojyo and Hakkai, the two demons turning to see the green jeep coming toward them.

"Damn!" The half-breed cried, he and Hakkai diving out of the way as Sanzo attempted to brake the fast-moving vehicle to a stop, but the ice was merely acting as a force shoving the jeep onward.

Samusa and his two siblings' eyes widened, the three quickly moving across the ice and out of the way as well. Hakkai glanced up, watching as Sanzo attempted to steer the jeep out of the way of the pit that was looming ahead of them, directly in their path.

"Hakuryu, transform!" The dark-haired demon shouted, the jeep glowing brightly and the blue dragon returning to his original state, sprawling Goku and Sanzo out on the ice.

Goku groaned, pulling himself up as Samusa narrowed his eyes, sensing the temperature in the ice chamber rising between the four travelers and the dragon. Soria glanced over at her elder brother, waiting for orders.

"That…was not fun," The brown-haired monkey muttered, Gojyo sighing with relief and stomping over toward the boy.

"I'll say it wasn't!" The crimson-haired man declared, hitting him over the head, Goku raising his arms up defensively.

Sanzo pushed himself up on the ice as the two squabbled, shivering slightly from the cold as he spotted the four ice demons.

"_So this is where the demonic aura I'd been sensing all night was coming from," _he thought to himself, checking to make sure the Maten Scripture was still safely tucked in his back pocket.

Hakuryu whined anxiously, flying over to Hakkai and glancing down at his master. Hakkai smiled, reaching out and letting the dragon rest on his shoulder. Sanzo eyed the two.

"Now we have all four of you right where we want you," Samusa declared, lunging for Sanzo. "It's time our lifestyle was finally preserved for good!"

Sanzo slid out of the way, pulling out his silver weapon instinctively and aiming at the ice demon. Goku summoned his pink rod once more, fending off an attack from Wintro, who looked eager for a fight.

"Preserve what lifestyle?" Sanzo growled, the four being backed up against each other in a circle while fending off the various attacks.

Samusa leapt down to the ice, pushing himself up and facing the Sanzo party, his eyes narrowed in determination.

"I don't know why I should bother explaining myself to the likes of you, but I will anyway," he declared, Wintro and Soria halting their attacks, Icila eyeing Gojyo from a distance. "Maybe then you can appreciate what your lives will be lost for."

Sanzo gritted his teeth, not liking the sound of what Samusa was saying.

"Several months ago, the negative energy fell over Shangri-La like a dark blanket, enveloping everything in its wake in its sickening mist," The white-haired demon growled, clenching a fist. "Most demons went mad under the influence of the energies and began to attack their fellow humans. We, the ice demons, however, were affected in a different way."

Soria eyed the ice below her, picking up where her brother had left off.

"We had always been sensitive to warm climates, but never before like how we are now," she murmured angrily. "Our bodies became intolerable to warmth, and we were unable to survive the seasons. Much of our clan died off during the first few weeks."

Icila could feel tears coming to her eyes again, remembering the deaths of so many of her friends and family as she stood on the icy surface of the chamber her brother had built.

_It was the heat…and the negative aura. It became our enemy, and the cold became our only refuge._

Sanzo raised an eyebrow, Gojyo's eyes narrowing as he realized that must have been why Icila had fainted in the restaurant.

_"When she said she couldn't take it anymore…she wasn't talking about her job," _he thought to himself with cold realization. _"She was talking about the heat of the restaurant!"_

"So you have to stay in the cold?" Goku asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.

Samusa nodded darkly, his eyes not meeting Goku's gaze.

"Yes," he murmured. "At first, we were able to survive by staying in deep caves that sunlight did not penetrate and were cold and damp, but soon even they became too hot for our bodies to tolerate."

Samusa sighed, thinking back to all he had done to keep his struggling family alive.

_All the sacrifices I've made…both with my life and the lives of so many others…_

"In a desperate attempt to prevent our inevitable fates," The dark-eyed demon continued, Hakuryu quivering slightly on Hakkai's shoulder. "I turned to black magic. Bewitching the area all around this small town, I was able to turn it into a perpetual arctic land, but at a heavy price."

Hakkai narrowed his eyes.

"Sacrifices," he murmured, Samusa nodding darkly.

"Every few days, sacrifices, human or demon, were required to keep the perpetual tundra in harmony with nature," Samusa continued, Wintro eyeing the four anxiously, wishing to continue the battle rather than the conversation. "The stronger the sacrifice, the longer they kept the winter spell in place. And so you see," he concluded, glancing back up at the four hellions. "Men with such power as yours would secure our lives for quite some time to come, without the need of daily sacrifices."

Sanzo narrowed his eyes.

"So that's why you attacked us," he muttered, Goku growling angrily as he tightened his grip on his staff.

"That's really low!" The boy shot back at the ice demons. "You can't just sacrifice other people so you can stay alive!"

Soria glared back at him, letting her nails grow longer again.

"Speak for yourself," she shot back. "It's survival of the fittest, now. If you're not willing to make sacrifices, then you deserve to die!"

Samusa gritted his teeth, the three ice demons suddenly glowing a silvery blue hue. Gojyo gulped, raising his staff up to protect him in case they attacked.

"This doesn't look good," he muttered, the three suddenly sprinting forward at an alarming rate, their bodies consumed in what looked like blue flames. "Looks like they're going for a head-on attack!"

Sanzo gritted his teeth, preparing for the impact, wondering if he had enough time to summon the Maten Scripture to protect them. As the three ice demons loomed toward them, a huge, yellow-tinged barrier suddenly appeared in front of the four, Gojyo blinking in surprise.

"Hakkai!" he shouted, seeing that the dark-haired demon had turned his energy into a barrier wall, which had currently halted the three attacking demons in the middle of their assault. "You idiot, you can't hold them off!"

Hakkai winced, the force of the ice demons driving him back slightly as he strained to keep up the energy wall.

"Think of…something to…stop them with when the barrier collapses!" he shouted back, Sanzo draping the Maten Scripture about his shoulders and closing his eyes in a chant.

Samusa glared at Hakkai, his eyes wide with a mix of rage and sorrow. There was no one who could keep him from protecting his family. They had to survive! He wouldn't let them die…no matter what!

Icila watched in horror as the struggle ensued, her family on one end…and the people who had been so kind of her on the other.

_"That's really low! You can't just sacrifice other people to save your own lives!"_

"I…"

Hakkai was shoved back even further, his energy barrier fading as the combined powers of the three ice demons wore away at it. Sanzo continued to chant, his scripture lighting up wildly.

"STOP!"

All who were present turned to watch as Icila ran toward them, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Please, just stop," she repeated, lowering her voice.

Hakkai's chii barrier vanished as the demon felt his energy weakening dramatically. Dazed, he turned to look at the female ice demon as her siblings ceased their attack, landing on the ice a few feet from the Sanzo party.

"Icila…?" Samusa murmured quizzically, his eyes narrowed.

Icila looked away from her family, staring down at the floor. Sanzo's scripture fell back against his shoulders as he ceased the chant, raising an eyebrow at this sudden turn of events.

"I…can't take it anymore," Icila murmured, letting her tears flow freely. "I'm tired…of living off other people's lives…like leeches! It is low. What makes…our lives anymore important…than those that we sacrificed to our cause?"

Soria's jaw dropped, stunned to hear her sister's words.

"I was only…trying to protect you all!" Samusa replied defensively, waving his hand in front of him in uncertain anger.

Icila looked up at him, meeting his gaze at last, her eyes brimming with tears.

"But at…what cost?" she finished, Wintro glancing back at the pit in the center of the room.

Samusa was silent as her wonders penetrated his stubborn mind. Fist shaking, he lowered his arm to his side and sighed, worry washing over him once more.

"You said this was survival of the fittest," Sanzo declared, stepping forward, his eyes narrowed. "If it is, then try surviving on your own."

Samusa's eyes widened as he whirled around to face the blonde priest.

"Sacrificing others just proves how weak you really are," Gojyo added, Hakkai nodding.

Icila stepped closer to her siblings, feeling as thought a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could see that Samusa had understood what she'd tried to explain to him.

_I used to believe my family was everything. My entire life was lived for them, and that no one else mattered. But they showed me…_

Icila looked over at Gojyo, Goku, Sanzo, and Hakkai, all of whom were standing a few feet from her siblings. She smiled a pale smile, a breeze blowing through her long hair.

_They showed me the importance of another's life, no matter who that person may be._

Samusa let his fist go, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"I suppose…" he murmured, looking over at his youngest sister. "You're right."

Wintro sighed, looking around the ice chamber wistfully.

"In that case," he muttered, jerking his head toward the tunnels. "I suggest we all get out of here."

There was dripping sound from above and a stream of water starting to fall steadily from the ice ceiling. Soria nodded, narrowing her eyes as she eyed the sacrificial pit.

"Without sacrifices, the underground chamber the spell created will collapse," she muttered angrily, Samusa nodding, taking Icila's hand.

Gojyo sighed, grinning at the others.

"Guess that's our cue to leave," he declared as bits and pieces of the ice chamber began to fall all around them.

* * *

End of Chapter Six! Please review, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter!

(Type 7 in place of 6 in the chapter URL if you're having difficulties finding Chapter7 right away.)


	7. Survival

**Chapter Seven: Survival**

Goku nodded eagerly.

"I want to get back to the inn where it's not a freezer!" he declared, Hakkai swaying slightly, his vision blurring.

Sanzo raised an eyebrow, eyeing the dark-haired demon, noticing for the first time since they'd entered the chamber the deep gashes in his stomach.

"Hakkai?" he asked quizzically, Hakkai's eyes closing as he fell forward.

Sanzo caught the man before he hit the ice, Gojyo gritting his teeth.

"Idiot," he sighed, Goku biting his lip as he glanced up at the ceiling, a chunk of ice suddenly cracking loose and falling toward them.

"Uh…guys!" he asked nervously, backing up, Hakuryu squealing nervously. "I think we'd better get going!"

"This way leads back to the village!" Samusa shouted from the entrance to one of the ice tunnels. "Hurry up; this place will be buried in less than five minutes!"

Gojyo gulped, helping lift Hakkai up as they started for the tunnels. Hakuryu let out a cry, transforming back into the jeep as another chunk of ice fell from the ceiling and landed beside the four.

"Step on it, Gojyo!" Goku yelled, the four hastily piling into the dragon's transformed vehicle.

"I know, I know!" The crimson-haired man shouted back, the engine starting and the jeep roaring down the tunnel once more, bits and pieces of the ice caverns falling all around them. "Why can I never have a peaceful night?" he muttered to himself as they sped down the icy tunnel.

Sanzo growled, eyeing the path ahead as the slide came into view, the four ice demons visible up ahead.

"Because you always have to go and introduce yourself to the local women, that's why!" he shouted back, Hakuryu slowing up so as not to hit the demons in the path of the jeep.

Goku bit his lip, glancing back at the collapsing ice chamber behind them.

"Okay, how do we get up the ice slide-thing?" he asked, leaning over Gojyo's shoulder.

Gojyo winced, shoving Goku back, the monkey-demon rubbing against the gash in his shoulder.

"I don't know," he muttered in reply, watching as the four ice demons eyed the ragged human and demon quartet.

Icila nodded in determination, Samusa eying her warily.

"I think that if we combine our energies, we'll have enough power to get both of us out of the tunnel," she murmured, Soria nodding beside her.

"True enough, but where will we go after we get out? It'll be back to phase one," she sighed, Samusa eyeing the Sanzo-party.

"I guess we'll deal with that later," he muttered, Icila closing her eyes, the bodies of the four ice demons glowing once again.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow as everything suddenly was blanketed in a thick white mist. He could hear the sounds of the tunnels collapsing behind him, and Goku shouting something inaudible from somewhere behind his ear.

The only thing that was visible was the glowing white mist that had wrapped itself all around them. Hakuryu squeaked as the dragon-jeep suddenly felt himself growing lighter.

"_Thank you…Gojyo_," A wispy voice echoed through the tunnel, Gojyo jerking to attention, looking around for the source of the voice.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted, and upon receiving no reply, he sighed, leaning back in his seat.

A moment later, the white mist started to fade away, and Sanzo was surprised to see that the entire jeep had been lifted out of the icy tunnel and was now resting on the snow-covered ground of the woods.

Goku blinked, glancing out the window as Hakkai leaned on him in the backseat. Sanzo narrowed his eyes, spotting the ice demons in the distance.

"Where do you think they're going?" Goku asked, his golden eyes wide with curiosity, taking note that the blizzard from before had died down completely.

Sanzo shrugged.

"Who knows?" he muttered, Gojyo looking sadly across the snow-covered field at Icila. "So long as they deal with their problems on their own, it doesn't concern anyone else."

The crimson-haired demon's shoulders sagged, watching as the ice demons vanished from sight.

"I guess so," he sighed, Sanzo sneezing.

Goku yawned, shivering slightly.

"Can we get back to the inn now?" he asked, his eyes half-closed. "Sanzo's still sick, and Hakkai's hurt, and I'm tired…and…"

"Hungry," Gojyo finished, leaning over the steering wheel in exasperation. "We know, you stupid monkey."

"Don't call me monkey!"

"I'll call you what I want," Gojyo replied coolly, starting the engine again.

"Not if you know what's good for you, you big red roach!" Goku shouted back, Sanzo sighing and shooting off his banishing gun once more.

"Shut up already…"

* * *

The following afternoon, the snow outside had begun to melt and the temperatures had gone up dramatically. The clatter of dishes could be heard from the restaurant as the residents of the inn enjoyed their lunches.

The manager of the restaurant didn't know what had ever become of his waitress, but figured she might have decided to stay home from work for a day due to the weather. In any event, they had plenty of help, so Icila wasn't really missed.

Only Goku of the Sanzo party was downstairs in the restaurant, filling several plates with various items from the buffet menu. Glancing around, he spotted a tray and stacked the plates up on it, several fancily-dressed women eyeing the boy skeptically as they entered.

"Excuse me!" Goku declared, balancing the tray in his arms as he walked out into the lobby. "Coming through!"

* * *

Upstairs, Sanzo yawned, browsing the newspaper as he leaned back on the headboard of the bed. Running around in the snow all night hadn't helped his cold any, but, he thought, at least now he could get some peace.

A few rooms over, Gojyo sighed, leaning against the wall and glancing out the window at the slowly melting snow. With the departure of the ice demons, the temperatures outside had returned to normal and the remains of the blizzard starting to thaw.

Gojyo's eyes wandered over to Hakkai, who was asleep in the bed near the window. A doctor who had been staying at the inn had tended to his and Gojyo's wounds, and suggested kindly that Sanzo refrain from "playing in the snow" until he'd gotten over his cold.

Gojyo grinned, remembering Sanzo's look of annoyance at the doctor's words. Yawning, the half-breed glanced over at the clock, as there was a creak from across the room.

Hakkai blinked, tiredly glancing around at his surroundings. Gojyo folded his arms across his chest, eyeing the dark-haired demon.

"It's about time," he declared, grinning slightly. "Do you know how long you've been sleeping?"

Hakkai smiled, wearily pushing himself up, noting that the wounds in his stomach had been patched up.

"Do I really want to know?" he replied, glancing over at Gojyo. "What happened?" Hakkai added curiously.

Gojyo sighed, walking toward him.

"You were being a show-off again," he replied, narrowing his eyes as he sat down in a chair near the bed. "You used your energy to conjure that chii barrier when you were trying to keep those wounds under control at the same time. Haven't I told you not to go pulling those kinds of heroic stunts?"

Hakkai chuckled guiltily.

"I guess you have," he admitted. "I couldn't think of anything else to do at the time, though."

Gojyo shrugged.

"No biggie," he replied calmly, leaning back in the chair.

There was a few moments pause, and then Hakkai spoke up again.

"What happened to the ice demons?" he asked, Gojyo's face growing a bit darker.

"They left," The crimson-haired demon replied, standing up. "After we all got out of the ice tunnels, they went off on their own."

_"She didn't even say good-bye," _he thought to himself. _"Though, I guess we weren't **officially** going out or anything…"_

Hakkai's gaze wandered behind him to the window, where bits of melting snow were falling from the rooftop.

"And so the weather's gone back to normal as well," he noted, Gojyo nodding as he turned toward the door.

"Yep," he agreed, reaching for the knob. "Everything's back to normal."

As Gojyo opened the door and stepped out, there was a loud crash and the sound of several dishes crashing on the floor. Goku yelled, gaping at the mess of his neatly assembled lunch plates in horror.

"You klutzy water-sprite!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Gojyo, whose clothes were streaked with soy sauce. "I was trying to bring up lunch!"

Gojyo's eyes narrowed as he lunged at the monkey-demon.

"Well try being more careful about it next time!" he shouted, Hakkai watching the two in amusement.

Goku glanced over Gojyo's shoulder, noticing Hakkai was awake.

"Oh, hey Hakkai!" he waved before Gojyo pinned him to the wooden ground of the hallway. "Get off me, you pervy cockroach!"

Hakkai half-waved back, chuckling nervously as he heard a door a few rooms down slam.

"Can't you two keep quiet for five minutes!"

There were several gunshots, and the sound of Goku and Gojyo running for cover as Hakuryu flapped over to his owner, settling down in his lap. Hakkai smiled, petting his dragon fondly.

"Thanks, Hakuryu," he told the creature, remembering how he'd helped out the night before.

There were several more crashes and shouts in the hallway. Hakkai laughed, glancing out the window once more.

"Things certainly are back to normal," he declared, Hakuryu squeaking in agreement.

* * *

Many miles away, Icila smiled as she and her siblings walked through the melting snow, all of them together. Samusa's eyes were dark as he pondered in his mind what he would do to keep his family alive now that his spell was no longer in affect.

"_But whatever I do…whatever **we **do, it'll be on fair terms, and together," _he thought to himself, Icila glancing up at him.

"You're not…angry with me, are you, brother?" she asked nervously, Samusa sighing and smiling a small smile back.

"Of course not," he replied, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"We'll just have to find another way to live," Soria declared, looking out into the distance. "This negative aura won't get the better of us."

Wintro nodded in agreement.

"We'll find a way," he agreed.

Icila felt herself grow warmer, not physically, but inside her heart.

_"We will."_

She glanced back to the west, where the inn she had worked at for the evening resided.

_"Thanks again."_

* * *

Dr. Ni chuckled, leaning back in his leather computer chair as and turned away from his laptop. Dr. Huang sighed in exasperation, glancing up from her research and eyeing her colleague.

"What is it now?" she asked with a sigh, Dr. Ni eyeing her.

"Oh, just a bit of _interesting _data," he replied calmly, picking up his stuffed rabbit. "It seems winter is ending early this year."

Instructor Wang, a bizarre-looking demon with wires connected to his head chuckled from a few stations away.

"What, did the groundhog see his shadow?" he asked sarcastically, Dr. Huang rolling her eyes behind her glasses.

"No," Dr. Ni replied, smiling as he watched the figures roll down the screen. "But it seems a little spell has come to an end, and now the spellcasters will wither and die."

Dr. Huang raised an eyebrow suspiciously, staring at the doctor as he had the stuffed rabbit put its hands to its eyes as if it were wiping away tears.

"What _are _you talking about?" she retorted, Snuggums boo-hooing.

Dr. Ni just smiled in his eerie way.

* * *

The End!

Please review, and let me know what you thought. Check back soon for more Saiyuki fanfics coming soon. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the fic.


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